Al Jazeera English Presents Birthrights

A series exploring maternal health and the power, politics and poverty that impacts it around the world.

Maternal health is more than just about mothers and babies. Across the globe the very business of delivering life into the world is determined by power, politics and all too frequently, poverty.

There may be a lack of facilities or too much medical intervention; women might struggle to deliver their babies healthy manner or try to control families through terminating unwanted pregnancies; and the challenges they face whether it’s rural remoteness or an urban culture dominated by media messages. Whatever the specifics, maternal health and the way women give birth is a global issue that affects us all.

Al Jazeera English takes an inside look into the stories of women around the world who are in vastly different circumstances, exploring their roles as mothers, the challenges they face around birth and labour as well as some of the ways they are trying to change their worlds and improve maternal health in their communities.